Happy days in Madinah with Quba’s Entertainment Boulevard

Quba’s Entertainment Boulevard included sections for photography, calligraphy and visual arts, and a productive family section

Image used for illustrative purpose
Performers rehearse for the opening of the 28th Janadriya Heritage and Culture Festival, in Janadriya, outskirts of Riyadh April 3, 2013.

REUTERS/Jamal Saidi

By Yousef Mohammed,
Arab News

MADINAH: The Madinah Development Authority, in cooperation with the Culture and Arts Society, organized the activities of Quba’s Entertainment Boulevard that began last Thursday and witnessed heavy attendance by visitors, Madinah residents and Umrah performers.

The visitors also saw various events of the customs of the people of Madinah, which included the children’s procession in traditional Madinah dress, in addition to other activities.

Quba’s Entertainment Boulevard included corners for photography, calligraphy and visual arts, and a productive family corner.

Ali Jaber Al-Qahtani told Arab News that he came from the city of Khamis Mushayt to visit Madinah. “I heard about the activities of Quba’s Entertainment Boulevard so I came here and saw the various shows. I liked the activities that represent the originality of Madinah,” he said.

Abdel Karim Abdel Rahman from Sudan told Arab News that the events are wonderful, especially the open theater. “I am so pleased to see the various events from the corner of fine arts and practicing drawing and graphic art in front of the public. Quba’s boulevard location is distinguished as it is very close to the Prophet’s Mosque,” he said.

In the calligraphy corner, Youssef Bakhsh practices his hobby of writing calligraphy and the names of the visitors for free. He writes their names using his wooden pen. Bakhsh told Arab News that he has been practicing calligraphy for five years and that the public loves Arabic calligraphy.

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“My corner is considered one of the busiest and most popular by the public. I write their names and phrases they request. I write using the kasbah, which is considered one of the best tools in writing calligraphy. I also can do handwriting in three types of Arabic script: Diwaniya, Reqaah, and Naskh.”

Visual artist Ghofran Al-Ansari told Arab News that she is practicing visual drawing in front of the public on Quba’s Entertainment Boulevard. “The turnout is big; I did not expect this attendance.”

Tariq Abbas also talked about his role as mayor of the neighborhood around Quba Boulevard.

“Despite the cold weather, the turnout is big. The public is asking about the different social images and the most important social events are the groom’s wedding procession and the delivery of the dowry to the bride. The most prominent social images are the educational sessions or the katatib.”